Scott No: -
Serial number: 2013-6
Values in set: 12
Date of issue: March 16, 2013
Denomination: 1390 fen
Designer: Hao Xudong, Li Qingfa
Size of stamps: 33 * 33 mm
Perforation: 13.5 * 13
Sheet composition:
16 for Sheet I (2 Values);
12 for Sheet II (6 Values)
Size of sheet:
160 * 180 mm for Sheet I;
140 * 180 mm for Sheet II
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

China Post scheduled to issue the special stamp set Peach Blossoms on March 16, 2013, containing a total of twelve stamps. This marked the first large-format full set released by China Post. It was the 23rd flower-themed stamp set issued since 1960. In terms of quantity, it ranks second only to Peonies (20 stamps) and Chrysanthemums (18 stamps). It also has the largest number of individual stamps among all releases since the 1999 stamp set Great Unity of All Ethnic Groups.

The stamps feature twelve varieties of peach blossoms: White Flat Peach, Single Pink Peach, Pink Glow Peach, Purple-leaf Peach, Jade Dwarf Peach, Double-flowered Peach, Five-color Peach, Upright Red Peach, Green-sepal Weeping Peach, Two-tone Peach, Chrysanthemum Peach and Crimson Peach. The main images adopt the art style of meticulous light color painting, framed by window grilles from classical Chinese gardens, vividly depicting the flourishing peach blossoms and vibrant spring scenery.

Mini-sheets of this stamp set were also released, printed with scented ink via photogravure. This set is China Post’s first scented stamp series. Designed by Hao Xudong and Li Qingfa, the stamps were printed with photogravure scented ink at the Beijing Stamp Factory. The official first-day ceremony for the set was held on March 16, 2013 during the 15th International Peach Blossom Music Festival in Pinggu, Beijing.

Introduction to Peach Blossom Varieties on the Stamps

12-1 White Flat Peach

It belongs to the true peach group, upright-branch peach category, and plum blossom form. It is an arbor with grey bark and green branches, and ovate-lanceolate leaves. It bears abundant pure white double-petaled flowers with distinctive charm. The flower diameter ranges from 4 to 6 centimeters, with 15 to 30 flat-spread petals and two whorls of 10 green sepals. Its blooming period lasts long, from early to late April. The ovaries develop into long spherical fruits. It falls into two sub-varieties:

Small-flower White Flat Peach: Bears small white oval petals with fewer sepals; branches are mostly brown with green speckles.

Large-flower White Flat Peach: Produces larger white round petals; green twigs are densely covered with fine hairs.

Single-petaled White Flat Peach (variant): Features plain, pure white single petals with an elegant look.

Distributed across Northwest, North, East and Southwest China.

12-2 Single Pink Peach

Classified under the true peach group, upright-branch peach category and single-petal form. It grows upright with branches stretching straight upward or slanting outward. The flowers are flat and composed of five pink petals. Distributed across Northwest, North, East and Southwest China.

12-3 Pink Glow Peach

It is a new cultivar developed over eighteen years of careful cultivation by a joint research team from Beijing Botanical Garden and Beijing Forestry University. The team crossbred the female parent Two-tone Silk Tree Peach with the male parent White Mountain Flat Peach through artificial pollination. It has smooth bark and slender, sparse twigs. Its flat plum-like flowers have white filaments and reddish-brown anthers, blooming into soft pink clusters resembling morning glow, hence its name "Pink Glow". It is an early-blooming ornamental peach, flowering as early as early April in the Beijing area.

12-4 Purple-leaf Peach (also known as Red-leaf Flat Peach)

A member of the true peach group, upright-branch peach category and plum blossom form. It includes sub-varieties such as single pink-flower purple-leaf peach, red double-flowered purple-leaf peach and standard purple-leaf flat peach. A deciduous small tree standing 3 to 5 meters tall with greyish-brown bark and reddish-brown twigs. Simple alternate ovate-lanceolate leaves emerge bright crimson before turning nearly green. Flowers are single or double-petaled with almost no stalks, in pink or deep red. Globular stone fruits are covered with short fine hairs, blooming from April to May. Distributed from southern Northeast China to Guangdong, as well as Northwest and Southwest China.

12-5 Jade Dwarf Peach

One of six dwarf double-flowered cultivars in the dwarf peach subgroup of the true peach group. It features short internodes and dense flower buds due to its compact dwarf stature. Full bloom starts in April and lasts roughly half a month, with fruits ripening in September. Its small size and tight branch internodes make it ideal for potted cultivation. Distributed across Northwest, North, East and Southwest China.

12-6 Double-flowered Peach (also named Thousand-petal Peach)

A deciduous small tree of the true peach group and upright-branch peach category, capable of reaching 8 meters in height, usually pruned to 3–4 meters. Twigs are reddish-brown or brownish-green and glabrous. Elliptic-lanceolate leaves measure 7 to 15 centimeters with tapering tips. Single or paired pink double flowers grow from leaf axils. Variants include pure white, deep red and speckled mixed-color blooms. Native to northern and central China.

12-7 Five-color Peach

A peony-type upright peach unique to Yangzhou, under the true peach group and upright-branch peach category. It grows upright with vertical or slanting branches. Two strains exist: Large Five-color Peach (more red petals, fewer white ones) and Small Five-color Peach (more white petals, fewer red ones).

12-8 Upright Red Peach

A columnar peach cultivar imported from Japan under the true peach group. It has a neat, elegant cylindrical shape with stiff upright branches, fast growth, and a height of 8 to 12 meters. Its flowering period extends over ten days longer than ordinary flowering peaches, bearing bright red, pink and mauve blossoms. It offers ornamental value year-round: blossoms in spring, fruits in summer, foliage in autumn and striking red twigs in winter.

12-9 Green-sepal Weeping Peach

A weeping double-flowered cultivar of the true peach group and weeping peach category, distinguished by drooping branches that form an umbrella-shaped crown. Found nationwide across China.

12-10 Two-tone Peach (Rose Form)

A rose-type upright peach from the true peach group. Red and white blossoms grow side by side on the same branch, and individual blooms carry petals of two contrasting hues for a stunning delicate look. It has greyish-brown trunk bark and thick yellowish-brown twigs bearing dense flowers. Blooms alternate between pale pink and deep pink on branches, with a diameter of 4.5 to 6 centimeters and 20 to 40 petals. The flowering period runs mid-to-late April, sometimes stretching into early May. This variegated "color-shifting branch" phenomenon arises from natural extreme environmental conditions that alter flower color genes, creating mosaic pigmentation. It is a natural trait, not the result of artificial grafting. Widely distributed across China.

12-11 Chrysanthemum Peach

A chrysanthemum-type upright peach in the true peach group, prized among ornamental peaches for its chrysanthemum-like flower shape. A deciduous shrub or small tree of the Rosaceae Prunus genus, it has greyish-brown trunks and grey-brown to reddish-brown twigs with elliptic-lanceolate leaves. Pink or red slender double petals grow from leaf axils, mimicking chrysanthemums at full bloom. It flowers March to April, with blossoms emerging before or alongside leaves, and rarely bears fruit after blooming. Native to northern and central China.

12-12 Crimson Peach

A peony-type deciduous upright tree belonging to the true peach group, with vertical or slanting branches bearing vivid crimson double-petaled flowers that bloom slightly later than other varieties. Distributed from southern Northeast China to Guangdong, and throughout Northwest and Southwest China.

The large-format Peach Blossoms stamp set has won great popularity among philatelists for its abundant peach blossom varieties, vivid colors and exquisite design. It is also an indispensable thematic stamp collection piece covering flower, famous blossom and flower-and-bird themes.